Stores we love

Two things has always been sorely missing from our collection of Amazing Race party ideas. Both of these things seem unnecessary at first, but as soon as you have them, you realize just how authentic they make the whole event — a Pit Stop mat and fanny packs. As Jo and I geared up to host another The Amazing Race this summer during our vacation Sanibel, we decided we needed to add these two elements to the event.

First I’ll show you how I made the fanny packs for our racers, which are super easy. They’re going to need somewhere to put their clues, money, and gear, right?

I started with simple black fanny packs, one for each team. The key is to find packs with simple fronts so that you can embellish them. I actually got these nylon packs at Walmart for $5 each — what a bargain! Then I grabbed rolls of duct tape in those familiar race colors of red and yellow.

To add the classic race marker flag to the packs, I started with two strips of yellow duct tape, which I overlapped by about an inch or so.

Then I added one strip of red duct tape down the middle.

Doesn’t get much easier than that, right? And for under $20 I was able to equip my three teams with a race element that they really loved. Perfect.

The Pit Stop mat wasn’t nearly as easy to create, but was worth the effort without a doubt. I mean, how are you supposed to end a leg of your own version of The Amazing Race if you don’t have a mat to jump on when your personal Phil checks you in? You just HAVE to have a mat for your Pit Stops.

The first step was to find an image of a world map online and use our trusty Artograph projector to project the image onto the canvas. I traced the outline onto the canvas with a pencil. Then I trimmed the canvas so that it was proportional to the map image.

I painted the frame on the canvas first, starting with a bold red border, and then adding another bold yellow border inside that. Using masking tape to mark the straight lines helped immensely.

Then I filled in the map part with a bright blue and the background with black. It suddenly looked so authentic and amazing after I started filling in the black!

This Pit Stop map was such a great touch to add to our The Amazing Race party, and I’m so glad we decided to make one.

Just look how happy the winning team was to jump on the mat!

Visit our whole collection of The Amazing Race party ideas to make your event as authentic as you can.